Non-alignment on the Racial Frontier: Zambia and the USA, 1964-68

Careful examination of relations between Zambia and the USA during Lyndon Johnson's presidency, based on archival research in both nations, provides valuable insights into their often very different perspectives in the midst of the Cold War. The Johnson administration at times sympathized with Zambia but dismissed southern Africa as a low priority in the confrontation with communism, whereas Kenneth Kaunda feared for his nation's survival on the racial frontier and desperately needed help, but insisted on a non-aligned foreign policy nonetheless. American officials questioned Zambian policy decisions such as accepting Chinese aid and opposing non-proliferation as naive or irrational; however, from his perspective, Kaunda was upholding national security and resisting superpower hegemony.